Brasilia, Apr 7(UNI) Brazil on Tuesday recorded more than 4,000 COVID-related deaths for the first time, health authorities reported.
With the latest additions the country's total death toll is now almost 337,000, which is second only to the US, the BBC reported.
Hospitals are continuously witnessing an overwhelming number of people flocking to get admitted and in many cases people have been dying as they wait for treatment in some cities. The health authorities said that the country's health system is on the brink of collapse in many areas.
But despite the spike in the number of cases and deaths from COVID President Jair Bolsonaro is conytinuing to oppose any lockdown measures to curb the outbreak.
He has continued to argue that the damage to the economy would be worse than the effects of the virus itself, and has tried to revert some of the restrictions imposed by local authorities in the courts.
Speaking to supporters outside the presidential residence on Tuesday, he criticised quarantine measures claiming they were linked to obesity and depression and led to unemployment. He did not comment on the 4,195 deaths recorded in the past 24 hours.
To date, Brazil has recorded more than 13 million cases of coronavirus, according to the health ministry. Some 66,570 people died of COVID-19 in March alone, more than double the previous monthly record.
UNI XC ACL0804